16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (2024)

A traditional Passover Seder plate includes a shank bone, which symbolizes the sacrificial lamb that was offered in the temple in Jerusalem. While it's appropriate to serve lamb for Passover, interpretations of the rules for preparation vary. For a dish with the shank intact, try 2018 F&W Best New Chef Katianna Hong's make-ahead Braised Lamb Shanks with Herb Salad or Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov's super-seasonal Braised Lamb Shanks with Peas, Mint, and Rhubarb. For something easy yet impressive, lamb chops might be the way to go, like our Lamb Loin Chops Sizzled with Garlic. Whether you're planning a reform meal or something more orthodox, here's a selection of our best lamb recipes to make for Passover.

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Leg of Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes and Leeks

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (1)

Incredibly easy to prepare, this bone-in leg of lamb is coated with an herby, pleasantly salty crust before marinating in the refrigerator for about eight hours. The dry brine results in a juicy, tender, and deliciously garlicky lamb roast. Potatoes and leeks are added about 45 minutes before the roast is finished cooking, absorbing the flavors of the herbs and lamb juices as they roast.

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Rosé-Marinated Grilled Leg of Lamb with Walnut Salsa Fresca

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (2)

Studding a leg of lamb with anchovies adds savory depth to this beautiful cut of meat flavored with a garlicky, herbal rosé-based marinade. The flavors in the walnut salsa fresca served alongside mirror those of the marinade, bringing a final dose of richness and flavor to this standout dish.

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Garlic-Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (3)

When lamb is at the center of the dinner table — especially something as eye-catching as this roast rack of lamb — it makes the meal feel special. This lamb roast recipe is one of our favorite ways to prepare a rack of lamb because it's simple but has wonderfully complex flavors from the marinade.

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Braised Lamb Shanks with Herb Salad

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (4)

These lamb shanks, crispy on the outside yet fall-off-the-bone tender, make an impressive holiday dinner party dish. 2018 F&W Best New Chef Katianna Hong recommends braising the shanks one day before your party, then brushing with hot mustard sauce and crisping them up right before serving.

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Spicy Lamb Chops

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (5)

This quick and impressive lamb chop recipe is perfect to serve for an elegant party. The sharp heat and bright flavors from the chopped herb, chile, and lemon sauce balance the fat and gaminess in the lamb.

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Leg of Lamb Cooked Over New Potatoes with Spicy Mint-Rum Sauce

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (6)

Dried lavender and fresh thyme lend floral, woodsy flavor to garlic cloves in a simple paste that seasons the lamb and helps the dried spice crust stick to the meat. The mint sauce — made by cooking mint jelly in a skillet with a splash of rum and jalapeño — will appear very thin when hot but thickens to a glaze as it cools.

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Double-Cut Lamb Chops with Garlic-Caper Rub

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (7)

Punchy anchovies and garlic mellow during their short cook time, adding umami to double-cut lamb chops. Reverse-searing using the broiler results in perfectly cooked lamb with a crispy exterior; use a probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature for best results. Serve the carved chops over cooked orzo to balance out the meal.

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Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Shallots and White Wine

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (8)

Cookbook author Aria Adjani's lamb shoulder roast is braised atop shallots and thyme in a honey-tinged bath of white wine and orange juice, then served with a bright lemon-oregano gremolata.

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Lamb Loin Chops Sizzled with Garlic

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (9)

This easy lamb chop recipe comes together quickly. The sizzled garlic balances the richness of the lamb and pairs nicely with the lemon-parsley pan sauce.

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Rack of Lamb with Mustard-Shallot Sauce

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (10)

The secret to a perfectly cooked rack of lamb: Sear it in a skillet, transfer the pan to the oven to cook through, and make a quick pan sauce.

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Petite Leg of Lamb with Pickled Rhubarb Salsa

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (11)

Former F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple loves leg of lamb, but it’s sometimes such a commitment to make a whole one. Here, he opts to roast a petite leg, which is the shank end with the hip bone removed. It’s ideal for a small group.

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lavender

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (12)

Sweet and sour shallot jam made from dates, honey, and apple cider vinegar accompanies this fantastic roast.

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Lamb Chops with Frizzled Herbs

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (13)

Frying herbs like rosemary, parsley, and sage for less than 45 seconds in a half inch of oil makes them ultra-crispy; they're delicious with these tender lamb chops.

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Lemony Dill Sauce

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (14)

Chef Andrew Zimmern roasts a whole leg of lamb in the oven, and the recipe is easily adaptable for the grill, cooking over medium indirect heat.

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Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Chops with Dried Fruit

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (15)

A jammy Zinfandel and dried fruit lend a ton of flavor to lamb-shoulder chops.

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Braised Lamb Shanks with Peas, Mint, and Rhubarb

16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (16)

Chef Michael Solomonov braises lamb shanks with sweet date molasses until the meat is tender, then adds tangy rhubarb to the sauce. The dish can also be prepared with tart fruits like quince or crabapples when rhubarb isn’t in season.

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16 Passover Lamb Recipes for Your Holiday Table (2024)

FAQs

What is a good menu for Passover? ›

The actual Seder meal is also quite variable. Traditions among Ashkenazi Jews generally include gefilte fish (poached fish dumplings), matzo ball soup, brisket or roast chicken, potato kugel (somewhat like a casserole) and tzimmes, a stew of carrots and prunes, sometimes including potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Why don't Jews eat lamb for Passover? ›

The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron. Ashkenazim do not eat lamb at the Seder meal. Why? Because they believe that doing so is equivalent to eating the paschal sacrifice that was intended to be made only at the Temple in Jerusalem.

What are the requirements for the Passover lamb? ›

The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.

What is served at a traditional Passover meal? ›

Regardless of which tradition you follow, there are plenty of classics—matzo ball soup, brisket, flourless chocolate cake—and lots of modern variations (who's in for vegetarian chopped liver?!). So break out the Haggadah and hide the afikoman: It's seder time.

Did Jesus eat lamb at Passover? ›

The claim by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that Jesus was a vegetarian is just another attempt at this type of exploitation. The verse in Luke 22:7 reads: "Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.

Did the Passover lamb have to be male? ›

The sacrificial animal, which was either a lamb or goat, had to be a male, one year old, and without blemish.

What does the Bible say about the Passover lamb? ›

Among other procedures, the Lord commanded, as found in Exodus 12: 'Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year,' signifying that the Lamb of God, pure and perfect, without spot or blemish, in the prime of his life, as the Paschal Lamb, would be slain for the sins of the world.

What is the Passover lamb ritual? ›

Paschal lamb, in Judaism, the lamb sacrificed at the first Passover, on the eve of the Exodus from Egypt, the most momentous event in Jewish history. According to the story of the Passover (Exodus, chapter 12), the Jews marked their doorposts with the blood of the lamb, and this sign spared them from destruction.

Can you eat leg of lamb on Passover? ›

In memory of this, the eating of roasted lamb was prohibited. But many Jews find lamb acceptable as long as it is not roasted but cooked in a pan with liquid.

What is a substitute for lamb in the Passover? ›

Represents the Passover plate offering of a lamb made at the ancient Temple in Jerusalem in the early spring. Sometimes a chicken neck is substituted, and in vegetarian homes, a beet, a yam, or a carrot may be substituted.

Is oatmeal OK during Passover? ›

Leavening is out. To make the unleavened bread taste better, it can be covered in chocolate or made into matzoh balls. Oats are widely considered chametz and are therefore forbidden during Passover. To Jews who eat kitniyot, legumes are considered kosher for Passover.

What not to eat on Passover? ›

According to the Torah, we are supposed to eat matzo and abstain from eating wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats for the eight days of Passover. The category of foods called kitniyot (corn, rice, and beans) have also been off limits for many Ashkenazi families.

What is the most important Passover food? ›

Though not on the Seder plate itself, three pieces of matzo are wrapped in cloth and included on the Seder table. During Passover, Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foods, and instead eat matzo, an unleavened flatbread similar to the unleavened bread eaten during the flight from Egypt.

What not to bring to Passover dinner? ›

Don't bring food or wine—-kosher limitations are one thing, but Passover limitations on food and drink are a whole different level of complexity, and family customs are often even more so! If you feel you must bring a gift, stick to flowers, or ask your hosts.

What foods are not allowed at Passover? ›

Ashkenazi Jews, who are of European descent, have historically avoided rice, beans, corn and other foods like lentils and edamame at Passover. The tradition goes back to the 13th century, when custom dictated a prohibition against wheat, barley, oats, rice, rye and spelt, Rabbi Amy Levin said on NPR in 2016.

What goes on the Passover seder plate? ›

There are at least five foods that go on the seder plate: shank bone (zeroa), egg (beitzah), bitter herbs (maror), vegetable (karpas) and a sweet paste called haroset. Many seder plates also have room for a sixth, hazeret (another form of the bitter herbs).

What should I bring to a Passover potluck? ›

PASSOVER POTLUCK
  1. Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce. Challah French Toast with Kahlua Cream Sauce. ...
  2. Kosher co*cktails for Purim - Delicious Drink Recipes and Traditions. ...
  3. Oven Roasted Root Vegetables. ...
  4. Roasted Rosemary Balsamic Tzimmes. ...
  5. Classic Cheesecake. ...
  6. Unstuffed Cabbage - Delicious, healthy comfort food.

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